WELLSVILLE - She has been gone since terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, but for a brief moment Friday, native Catherine Salter was back in the village, at least in spirit, as family, friends and officials gathered to remember her.

A new memorial in Salter's honor was unveiled at the entrance to town near the floodwall, where passers-by can catch a glimpse that will remind them of not only the former resident but of the sacrifices made by many on that fateful day.

The black granite stone depicts the New York City World Trade Center where the 37-year-old Salter died along with thousands of others after two planes were flown into the upper floors of the Twin Towers as part of an attack on the United States.

Designed and made by Richardson Monuments, the stone declares, "We Will Never Forget," and "In loving memory of Cathy Salter," and those gathered yesterday agreed Americans must remember the events of that day and those who were victims.

Salter's mother, Eleanor, and her sister, Cyndy, attended the ceremony while her other siblings, Bud Jr., Tim, Lynda and Mary - scattered around the country - sent their regrets for not being able to attend.

But Mrs. Salter said she knew her daughter Cathy was there, looking on and said to those gathered, "I am seeing her through your eyes."

Calling her daughter "one of the gentlest people" and a "kind soul," Mrs. Salter said one of the last times she spoke with her daughter was when her father, Henry, was dying.

"She looked at me and said, 'Mom, I'm so glad you are here with me.' Cathy, I'm so glad you're here with me today. I know you're looking down on us. You should be here to be the super aunt to your nieces and nephews, a friend to your (siblings) and the people you worked with, but you aren't. Wellsville is honoring you here today because they love you and we all love you and miss you," her mother said stoically.

Cathy Salter graduated as the valedictorian of the Wellsville High School Class of 1982, where she earned two letters in track and basketball. She received a degree in history from the University of Cincinnati in 1986 and began her career as a paralegal.

In 2000, she relocated to New York and was working on the 98th floor of the south tower for the Aon Corp., a worldwide insurance brokerage and consulting company, as vice president of risk management on Sept. 11, 2001.

Her mother was working at East Liverpool City Hospital that day when someone approached her at 8:45 a.m. to tell her a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

"I said, 'Which one?'" Mrs. Salter recalled, saying soon after, someone told her a second plane had hit the building and she called her daughter Cyndy in Cincinnati.

Cyndy had not spoken with her sister that day.

Mrs. Salter said she never watched the televised news accounts that day and, even though everyone kept telling her to go home, she said, "I didn't want to be home alone."

Eventually, she did go home and, like every other American, was drawn to the constant TV coverage.

"I knew she was dead," she said, although unclear how she received official word.

Understandably, "That day is kind of blurry," she said, although she believes her oldest son may have had to bear the news.

They learned that Cathy was speaking with a former boss in Cincinnati after the plane crashed into the Towers and he asked why she hadn't evacuated. She said she was getting ready to do so right then and that she was in the second tower. Then the second plane hit.

Mrs. Salter told news crews the attack was "such a cowardly act," that "still makes me angry," and "such a tragedy that never should have happened."

During yesterday's ceremony, county Commissioner Penny Traina said the casualties and damage caused that day "will be on our minds forever," and encouraged everyone to keep Cathy Salter and her family in their minds.

State Rep. Linda Bolon said she believes Cathy Salter was in the Twin Towers for a reason and that her death may have "taught us to be better Americans; she brought us together."

Saying different generations recall different dates in history, such as Dec. 7, 1941 or Nov. 22, 1963, state Sen. Jason Wilson said his generation will remember Sept. 11, 2001 and said, "We Americans were attacked and each day since has been a struggle between good and evil."

He pointed out that when a woman loses a spouse, she loses her present but when she loses a child, she loses the future, sending his condolences to the Salter family.

A Wellsville native herself, East Liverpool Municipal Judge Melissa Byers Emmerling said Cathy Salter had had the support and guidance of a small town and used that, as well as her God-given talents, to move ahead with her life but never planned for the fate that awaited her in New York.

The terrorist attacks "weren't just a television event," she said, adding, "When she was called to make that sacrifice, she personalized that loss for us."

Mayor Joe Surace said, "Cathy will always be a part of Wellsville," and several of her classmates watched as the monument was unveiled by police Chief Joe Scarabino and fire Chief Bill Smith.

Noting that both of them had lived all their lives in the village and known and worked with the Salter family, Scarabino said they were honored and humbled to be included in the unveiling.

As the veil came off, Mrs. Salter held back tears but nodded her head as though pleased, later saying the memorial to her daughter is "beautiful," and adding, "What's nice about it is when people go by they will be able to see it and they'll think of her. And that's just neat."

jgilbert@mojonews.com